black shale, variety of shale that contains abundant organic matter, pyrite, and sometimes carbonate nodules or layers and, in some locations, concentrations of copper, nickel, uranium, and vanadium. Fossils are rare in the shale and either are replaced by pyrite or are preserved as a film of graphite.

Black shales are dark, as a result of being especially rich in unoxidized carbon. Common in some Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata, black shales were deposited in anoxic, reducing environments, such as in stagnant water columns. [8] Some black shales contain abundant heavy metals such as molybdenum, uranium, vanadium, and zinc.

Black shale is a dark, thinly laminated sedimentary rock rich in organic matter, sulfides, and redox sensitive trace elements. It can form in various environments and is often associated with phosphorite, serving as a source rock for hydrocarbons. AI generated definition based on: Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2012

Black shale is a dark-colored mudrock containing organic matter that may have generated hydrocarbons in the subsurface or that may yield hydrocarbons by pyrolysis. Many black shale units are enriched in metals severalfold above expected amounts in ordinary shale.

Black shale, the subject of this article, is a dark-colored muddy sedimentary rock that is substantially enriched in organic matter. Depending on the grade of thermal maturity, black shales are often referred to as sapropel, bituminous shale, or oil shale.

Shale is most often dark gray or black but can be almost any color including red, green, and brown. It is very fine-grained, made of particles invisible to the naked eye. It has a layered, laminated appearance with many thin, parallel beds.

Aug 21, 2023 · Shales that are rich in organic matter (>5%) are known as black shales. Black color is given to these rocks by organic matter. Organic matter should be decomposed in normal conditions by bacteria, but high productivity, rapid deposition and …

A dark, thinly laminated carbonaceous shale, exceptionally rich in organic matter (5% or more carbon content) and sulfide (esp. iron sulfide, usually pyrite), and often containing unusual concentrations of certain trace elements (U, V, Cu, Ni).

Jan 1, 2013 · Black Shales are fine grained, generally organic carbon-rich sedimentary rocks that primarily consist of a mixture of clay minerals, quartz silt, organic particles (mostly planktonic algae and plant debris), and kerogen.

Sep 30, 2015 · Black shales have been of increasing interest in recent years due to their oil and gas potential, but also because many are enriched in nonfuel "unconventional" critical elements such as cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, platinum group …